Cold Open

It’s a little before 1 AM on Saturday, July 27th, 1996, in Atlanta, Georgia where the twenty-sixth Olympic Games are underway.

At the city’s Centennial Olympic Park, around fifty-thousand visitors party late into the night at one of the Games’ free concerts. But amid the excitement, 33-year-old security guard Richard Jewell is on high alert.

Richard squints against the stage’s strobing lights, frowning at an olive green backpack that’s been left unattended under a nearby bench.

He sends a member of his team chasing after a group of men who were sitting there moments earlier.

But Richard watches as they shake their heads, saying the backpack isn’t theirs. Alarm bells begin to ring in Richard’s mind. He watched that group of men occupy those seats for over half an hour, and if they are telling the truth, it means whoever the bag does belong to abandoned it long before that.

Richard calls it in as a suspicious package, and he’s soon joined by a federal agent. Richard and other guards keep members of the public away from the bench, as the agent crawls underneath to take a closer look.

The agent slowly undoes the top of the bag, shining a flashlight inside before quickly rolling out and getting back to his feet.

The agent tells Richard that the bag contains a pipe bomb - one of the largest he’s ever seen. And there’s no telling how long they have before it goes off, with so many people around, there is a severe potential threat to life.

Richard jumps into action not wasting a second, ordering people away from the bench.

He’s still shepherding people away twenty-five minutes later, when an explosion rips through the air, sending debris flying toward frightened spectators and scarring the night with violence.

The bombing of Olympic Park will incense not only the nation but the world. Thanks to the quick response and bravery of Richard Jewell and countless others, there will only be one fatality, but over a hundred will be injured. Within hours, President Bill Clinton will denounce the tragedy as an act of vicious terror, one that demands swift justice for whoever is responsible. What follows will be one of the largest manhunts in US history. And as the search for the perpetrator begins, the FBI will zero in on Richard Jewell himself, before three further attacks draw their attention to the real culprit, who is finally made to answer for the crime he carried out on July 27th, 1996.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is July 27th, 1996: The Atlanta Olympic Games Bombing.

Act One

It’s August 3rd, 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, one week after the Olympic Park bombing.

Security guard Richard Jewell peers out through a gap in the curtains of his mother’s bedroom. The news vans parked outside are making him feel uncomfortable, reminding him of the tragedy that has shaken him and so many others.

Thanks to his early warning, the bomb killed only one person, though many more were injured. At first, Richard was hailed as a hero for his quick thinking and evacuation efforts which likely saved countless lives. But in the seven days since the explosion, Richard has gone from savior to suspect. The FBI now believes Richard may have planted the device himself. Someone from the Bureau leaked their suspicions to the press a few days ago, and that sent Richard into hiding from the ensuing media frenzy.

As he peers out his mother’s window once more, Richard sees his attorney march past the press. They shout out questions about Richard’s role in the bombing, but the lawyer ignores every last one of them, briskly entering the house where he and Richard get down to business.

Today, the FBI are cranking up the heat on their main suspect. They’ve let Richard know that they’re on their way to take hair samples as part of their investigation. His lawyer briefs him on what to expect, but the FBI’s presence proves even more intense than they anticipate.

Because when the FBI arrives around 3 PM It’s not just one agent, but five. Given Richard’s cooperation, this seems like overkill. But as he watches the stream of agents pass through the reporters outside, it becomes clear to Richard that the Bureau is making a statement, trying to highlight to the press just how seriously they’re taking this crime. As a primary suspect, this does little to ease Richard’s nerves as he welcomes the agents inside. He knows all he can do now is obey orders and hope his innocence will eventually be revealed.

Richard takes a seat in the living room, as a tall, burly FBI agent towers above him, snapping on a pair of latex gloves. He stares grimly ahead as the agent gets to work, combing Richard’s scalp, plucking out a few hairs, and placing them carefully into an envelope, before taking Richard’s fingerprints and moving on to the next order of business.

One solid piece of evidence the FBI already has is a recording of a call the bomber made the night of July 27th, warning authorities of the impending explosion. They get Richard to read out, over and over, the very same words used by the caller, in an attempt to analyze and compare his voice with the one they have on tape.

The whole way through this, Richard is calm and polite. But on the inside, Richard’s thoughts and emotions are running wild. He does everything the FBI asks, but he can’t stop thinking about those who were hurt in the attack, and how the Bureau seems intent on pinning it on him. How despite protesting his innocence, he could end up paying the ultimate price if found guilty, the electric chair.

But despite countless hours spent looking into Richard Jewell as a suspect, none of the evidence the FBI takes from Richard connects him directly to the bombing. It’s a full three months after the attack when Richard receives the news he’s been praying for. In a letter addressed to him from the Atlanta US Attorney’s office, it’s made clear that he is no longer considered a suspect in the bombing.

Two days later, Richard holds a press conference. He walks into the room to a chorus of clicking cameras and takes his place at a podium looking out over a sea of journalists. Richard takes a moment to compose himself, before reading from a prepared statement. In it, he pulls no punches about the role that both the FBI and the media have played in turning his life into a nightmare.

RICHARD JEWELL: “In its rush to show the world how quickly it could get its man the FBI trampled on my rights as a citizen. In its rush for the headline that the hero was the bomber, the media cared nothing for my feelings as a human being. In their mad rush to fulfill their own personal agendas, the FBI and the media almost destroyed me and my mother.”

The emotion is clear for all to hear in his voice as he goes on to single out his mother for her unwavering support.

RICHARD JEWELL: “For eighty-eight days, my mother lived a nightmare too. Mom, thanks for standing by me and believing in me.”

Richard composes himself, and continues, telling those present that he never set out to be a hero back on July 27th; he was simply doing his job.

Richard will go on to file libel lawsuits against a host of media outlets for their sensational headlines and articles about him. But as far as the official investigation is concerned, the FBI will appear stumped. Without Richard, they will have no other viable suspect. And while the case remains open, it will fade from front page news. But, over a year later, a major breakthrough will finally occur, after the real culprit strikes again.

Act Two

It’s January 29th, 1998, in Birmingham, Alabama, eighteen months after the Olympic Park bombing.

Jeffrey Tickal, a local attorney, is enjoying a cup of coffee at a McDonald's before he heads to the office. He takes a sip and stares out the window as the town slowly starts to come to life. But his peaceful morning is interrupted moments later when a flustered-looking young man bustles in and heads straight for the payphone near Jeffrey’s seat.

Moments later, the attorney can’t help but overhear the young man’s side of the conversation, and he can't believe his ears. It sounds like the young man is talking to a 911 dispatcher, about an explosion that had taken place at a nearby abortion clinic this morning.

The young man had been doing his laundry when he heard the blast and ran outside to see what was going on. He tells the dispatcher that when he did, he saw someone acting suspiciously on the street, and he thinks they may be connected to the blast. The young man exclaims he’s seen the very same man across the street from this McDonald's.

Jeffrey glances out the window and sees the person the caller is referring to. Jeffrey grabs his coffee and heads outside to tail the mysterious man. And for a while, Jeffrey follows from a distance, unsure exactly what he will do if he caught up with him. But then, without warning, the man leaves the sidewalk and heads along a path that disappears into a wooded area. After losing sight of the man, Jeffrey heads back to the McDonald’s parking lot, climbs into his car, and sets off to search the streets, hoping to stumble across the man again.

After a few minutes, Jeffrey turns his car down a side street, and can’t believe his luck. Up ahead is a parking area that backs up against the woods, and who should appear but the man he’s looking for? The mystery man walks over to a gray Nissan truck, deposits something into the flatbed, and then climbs inside.

Jeffrey lets the truck drive past him, before making a U-turn and following the vehicle. When they hit a red light, Jeffrey seizes the chance to scribble down the truck's registration on the side of his McDonald's coffee cup.

A little further on, at the next set of lights, Jeffrey decides to be a little bolder and pulls up alongside the Nissan. He glances over and catches a glimpse of a dark-haired man who appears to be in his early thirties. There’s a moment when the man returns Jeffrey’s gaze, before driving off as soon as the light turns green.

If this driver is indeed involved in a bombing, there’s no telling how dangerous he could be, so Jeffrey changes tack. As the Nissan disappears along the road, instead of following it, he makes a beeline for a nearby police officer and shares his story, as well as the man’s license plate number.

Jeffrey doesn’t know it yet, but he’s just played a pivotal part in catching someone who will become one of the most wanted men in America. When police run the plates, the name registered to the vehicle is Eric Robert Rudolph. In the days that follow, the FBI sends an agent to Rudolph’s last known address, but there’s no sign of him. They do track down his brother-in-law, who describes Rudolph as a loner with anti-Government leanings. If he has carried out this attack, it may have been driven by the strong views he holds on abortion laws.

But it’s the forensic discoveries that cause the biggest stir. If indeed Rudolph is to blame for the explosion, analysis of the scene shows that this is not the first time he struck. Thanks to similarities in the materials used, and how the bomb has been constructed, the FBI is able to link this Birmingham attack to three others. Two most recent are a bombing at a woman’s clinic in Georgia and another at a popular lesbian bar in Atlanta. Fortunately, these resulted in no fatalities. But the same cannot be said of the earliest, and most devastating, attack that Rudolph is eventually tied to: Atlanta’s Olympic Park bombing.

After the debacle involving Richard Jewell, the FBI finally has a legitimate suspect to track down. They’ll speculate that Rudolph targeted Olympic Park to make a political statement against the American government on a global stage, and they’ll promptly place Rudolph on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list, with a million-dollar reward for any information leading to his capture. 

Rudolph, however, will be hard to catch. He’ll disappear, seemingly without a trace, sparking one of the largest manhunts the country has ever seen. It’ll be another five years before Rudolph finally runs out of luck, and the families of those killed and injured in his attacks will finally see the man responsible for their pain brought to justice.

Act Three

It’s May 31st, 2003 in Murphy, North Carolina, where rookie police officer Jeff Postell is working the night shift. It’s a small town, so he’s the only one on duty tonight.

At around 3:30 AM, his patrol takes him past the parking lot of a grocery store. Officer Postell is about to drive past when he sees something moving in the darkness by a dumpster. A shape peels itself away from the shadows, revealing a man. Officer Postell’s eyes take in the figure briefly, before spotting the long dark item in the man’s hand, resembling the barrel of a gun. Postell calls for backup, before getting out of the car, his weapon drawn.

As Officer Postell approaches, the man makes a run for it, but he ends up cornered behind the store. Upon getting closer, Officer Postell sees the suspect is armed only with a flashlight, not a firearm. He questions the man, who says he’s homeless. He isn’t carrying any ID and claims he can't remember his social security number. But something about this doesn’t sit right with the young police officer, who takes him into custody while he tries to figure out what’s going on.

It’s only once they’re back at the station that another cop says he thinks he recognizes this homeless man. He tells Postell he’s pretty certain that it’s none other than the Olympic Park bombing suspect, Eric Rudolph. And sure enough, when they pull up Rudolph’s wanted poster on the FBI website, the resemblance is undeniable. After seven years and four bombings, the FBI might have their man.

It took a stroke of luck to catch him, but federal agents soon find out just how lucky they’ve been. For the past five years, Rudolph is been living in the woods of North Carolina. The territory he knew well from his childhood, allowing him to use a number of caves and campsites to avoid detection. And while Rudolph has been in hiding, he’s also been plotting. It turns out he had even more bombings planned, and a huge cache of explosives ready to carry them out.

Two years after his capture, Rudolph will strike a plea deal, admitting all charges in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. He’ll be spared the electric chair but will spend the rest of his life behind bars. It will be a measure of justice for the hundreds affected by his crimes, including the many victims who suffered through the Olympic Park bombing on July 27th, 1996.

Outro

Next on History Daily. July 28th, 1794. After overseeing countless executions during France’s Reign of Terror, statesman Maximilien Robespierre finds himself on the chopping block.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Katrina Zemrak.

Music by Lindsay Graham.

This episode is written and researched by Rob Scragg.

Executive Producers are Alexandra Currie-Buckner for Airship, and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.